Go to the place where your imagination lives.

The child spot.

 The dreamer place.

Experiences of life can stifle and numb this part of ourselves.  As Westerners we live in a culture increasingly interested in what is ‘right’.  What is just?  What is the tribal definition of justice?

In an increasingly   fearful community we endlessly analyse events and behaviours and place them up against the mirror of judgement in order to maintain a grip on order.

We have lost our glasses through which we see glory and are then free to imagine what a life without constant judgement looks like.

I am working on retrieving some of my lost functionality – my lost imagination.

To dream of pure friendships,  of mountain walks, of witnessing miracles, of beauty, of sleep…..

I draw your attention to an excellent cultural piece written by author and journalist, David Brooks as published in the New York Times last week. The moral dance the church, politics and secularism plays is every evolving and heating up.

Read the article HERE

An excerpt from Les Murray's poem, An Absolutely Ordinary Rainbow 

and many weep for sheer acceptance, and more
refuse to weep for fear of all acceptance,
but the weeping man, like the earth, requires nothing,
the man who weeps ignores us, and cries out
of his writhen face and ordinary body

not words, but grief, not messages, but sorrow,
hard as the earth, sheer, present as the sea—
and when he stops, he simply walks between us
mopping his face with the dignity of one
man who has wept, and now has finished weeping.

Evading believers, he hurries off down Pitt Street.

Someone once said that when we get pre-occupied with just knowing stuff about God our spiritual lives become a bit like trying to view the galaxies through a pair of $5 binoculars.  In subtle ways convention wants to teach the 'believer/seeker' what to look for instead of how to look.  We put ourselves in spaces that speaks things into our ears instead of teaching us how to hear.  We are shown the best place to buy a new pair of glasses, instead of being led somewhere so that we can take in a view for ourselves.  The motives are good and are birthed from a hierarchical system that wants to pass on knowledge and experience.  The church likes to work out of this father/son model.  The majority are happy with this - they feel comfortable and safe with someone in leadership giving them all the answers.  We like the duality of good versus evil and black and white theology.  We want order, controlled order, even though we read the gospels and know that Jesus created havoc and social messes. We are praised when we know stuff and are seen to be reflecting back the words of our 'teachers'.  But the prophetic, instead creates futures that don’t seem ordered or sometimes sensible. We often aren't meant to tread in the steps of our forefathers.  We all long for the mentors, the fathers, the elders who will encourage, listen and promote rather than only to teach and direct. 

I went to a Writers Festival a few years ago and learnt about the rather fragile relationships between author, editor, publisher and publicist. The sessions were chaired by national experts in all these fields. It is a tough business and many fail.  The writer has to be prepared for their precious work to be restructured,analysed and changed all for the sake of sales. Everyone wanted a bestseller.  God, instead is looking for the 'voice in the desert'. A new voice telling the story.  The world is looking for the new voice.  

New York Times - Julianna Brion

MARCH 3, 2017

New Yorkers, if not city dwellers everywhere, might acknowledge a debt to Pope Francis this week. He has offered a concrete, permanently useful prescription for dealing with panhandlers.

It’s this: Give them the money, and don’t worry about it.

The pope’s advice, from an interview with a Milan magazine published just before the beginning of Lent, is startlingly simple. It’s scripturally sound, yet possibly confounding, even subversive.

Living in the city — especially in metropolises where homelessness is an unsolved, unending crisis — means that at some point in your day, or week, a person seeming (or claiming) to be homeless, or suffering with a disability, will ask you for help.

You probably already have a panhandler policy.

You keep walking, or not. You give, or not. Loose coins, a dollar, or just a shake of the head. Your rule may be blanket, or case-by-case.

If it’s case by case, that means you have your own on-the-spot, individualized benefits program, with a bit of means-testing, mental health and character assessment, and criminal-background check — to the extent that any of this is possible from a second or two of looking someone up and down.

Francis’ solution eliminates that effort. But it is by no means effortless.

Speaking to the magazine Scarp de’ Tenis, which means Tennis Shoes, a monthly for and about the homeless and marginalized, the pope said that giving something to someone in need is “always right.” (We’re helped here by the translation in an article from Catholic News Service.)

But what if someone uses the money for, say, a glass of wine? (A perfectly Milanese question.) His answer: If “a glass of wine is the only happiness he has in life, that’s O.K. Instead, ask yourself, what do you do on the sly? What ‘happiness’ do you seek in secret?” Another way to look at it, he said, is to recognize how you are the “luckier” one, with a home, a spouse and children, and then ask why your responsibility to help should be pushed onto someone else.

Then he posed a greater challenge. He said the way of giving is as important as the gift. You should not simply drop a bill into a cup and walk away. You must stop, look the person in the eyes, and touch his or her hands.

This morning we went with some friends to a breakfast place. It is a very popular little restaurant and the Saturday morning line up was long.  As I have previously blogged, Canadians seem to thrive in queues…or rather lines. They are a patient people.  It was drizzling and so it was not a particularly fun time to be standing outside for 40 minutes. But time flew by as we chatted, caught up and discussed what we were going to eat. We were made to feel welcome in the line – umbrellas were offered and the restaurant hostess was warm and friendly.  Through good service they had already created an atmosphere of anticipation and welcome.

The church can adopt this very simple and savvy philosophy of service: treating everyone well whether they are already seated at our table or waiting to get in. We must spend ourselves caring for those outside as well as those who are already eating at the table. The table is laid out for all as we, in the church, like to point out but have we got our umbrellas and warm greeting for those outside the walls. If we treat those without any revelation of God as we were treated this morning, then God’s place will be full.  Bringing our communion to the street.  Sharing it with the waiting multitude.  Whetting their appetite for what is inside. 

Our vision at Soulkitchen is like that.  Too many have been turned away at the door and told that there is not a table available for them.  Ignored.  Not even given a decent sneak peek at the menu.  We have given many the impression that the Christian life only starts when you are seated and inside.

Many years ago, my experience with God began when I was waiting in the line and someone came out with communion to me.  They offered me love and compassion and understanding.  I wasn’t made to feel that I was an outsider.  The inside came out to serve me.

Of course, some will walk away no matter what.  Don’t be discouraged in your service – keep serving the queue with quality hospitality.

Today, we were won over before we even sat down.  They had won our hearts before we tasted the delicious food.  Perfect culinary evangelism.  We will be back.

Life gets complicated and, sadly, for many their lives spiral out of control. Soulkitchen wants to help get people back on track and give them hope and confidence for a better way ahead. 

So often our greedy intellect tries to make Christianity somehow fit cleverly into some psychological paradigm. Take the Maslow theory devised in 1943.  This theory, Abraham Maslow called Hierarchy of Needs,  suggests a triangle of life needs with the physical on the bottom rung and rising to self-actualization at the apex.  He makes the case that when people get their primal needs met they will be open for the spiritual. Like Maslow, Jesus was interested in the whole realm of the human condition.  He said, if someone has a need, meet it as you would like to have yours met.  We, instead, have created a complex human resources 'department'  to manage and compartmentalize needs. We find it simpler to separate off the spiritual need from the practical need. We have created neat boxes to deal with life matters. This fits in the gospel of words, this is a gospel of social justice need, and, if you are hungry we have a gospel of community assistance.  

The 'good' church meets all the needs through its various programs - a one-stop Maslow shop!  Evangelists have been so hell-bent (excuse the phrase) on meeting the need for conversion or self-actualization that sensitivity to the layers of need and the cultural context of their 'customers' has been sorely limited. Our community services leaders have put action and meeting of physiological needs as their personal favourite.  Too many words have been spoken and too many meals been cooked! Instead we were instructed to go to places where disciples can be made.  

So how does the Jesus's 'theory' fits  into each of Maslow’s levels of needs?  Jesus just crushes it.  He says in ALL things I have “come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

Go out and make room for the whole triangle of need. 

Age and experience seem to work in our favour with regards to spiritual and emotional health. The book of Titus gives the older women encouragement to train younger women to love their husband and children as if they might just know better.

I looked at a aged string of twisted barbed wire today.  It was rusty and weak - easy to break with a gloved hand. In comparison a freshly strung barb would be almost impossible to tear apart without help from work tools.

Healing comes sometimes with age and spiritual experiences.  The barbed wires that held us captive seem to become easier to break off ourselves.  We need less intervention from others.  We recognize that life is tough and that a life committed to be a disciple of Jesus is perhaps tougher - or brings with it a different set of wiring.

I pray today for awareness of  spiritual healing and joy at imparting life and wholeness to those who are caught in the sharp wires. 

I feel it - the pressure.  Is it just me or is this that last part of the 2016 marathon?  The time when you just feel like all is for naught and your energy is running down the sinkhole.

Advent is a time of waiting - AND DOING - it seems! 

Father give me the grace to know when to put things down and to rest. You said that tomorrow will take care of itself. You took care of tomorrow. You took care as demonstrated with the birth of a Saviour.

Thankyou

This week I was invited to a group gathering to talk about how and where neighbourhoods are thriving.  About twenty people gathered from all parts of this city and we were joined by our US guests, Paul Sparks, Tim Soerens and Dwight J. Friesen who co-authored the book, The New Parish.  Rather than hear their take on what God is doing on the neighbourhood level (which is in the book) we were able to hear from those of our Vancouver tribe.  Seems like many of us have the 'block' on our minds as our expression of acting out the gospel.  Whether acting on a small scale or larger initiatives it appears to be a 'hot spot'.

As we know through recent studies by the Vancouver Foundation, Vancouver Mental Health and the Angus Reid Institute it is alienation and loneliness that are the slow killers of community.  The church on the corner, the condo neighbour, the dog walker, the community gardener and the local business person and whoever  - all can be the agent of change.   Better neighbours. Better city.  Get passionate about those who surround you.

We have our eyes open to help churches that are needy of some support in helping out with the hospitality piece of their mission. We have a great kitchen space and willing volunteers and good supplies of fresh food. We feel God has blessed us to bless the city. When First Baptist asked us about providing one meal per month for their shelter it was with great joy we responded. Yes! We delivered our first meal for 200 guests at the shelter last week.

About  15 years ago Hannes  travelled to Vancouver with a heart to see what was happening in the spirit of this city. First Baptist Church in the downtown core was a place that intrigued him and he remembers voluntering there on a cold New Years Eve back in the 90's sometime. Now we live here and are serving this ministry.

Thank you Father for being bringing these things to pass.

It distresses me that issues of social welfare are not figuring strongly in the debate we are seeing over the border in the United States election race. We hear more about race and women as they are important voting sectors but the votes of the poor must be unimportant or not a factor of strategy.  The welfare issue is being discussed by way of the candidates economic and immigration platform but only as a side issue. America has 46.7 million people living in poverty, but there's been little talk on the presidential campaign trail about the needs of these ones – about how the nation will carry the marginalised.  Actually the middle class and the wealthy have been centre stage.

Surely any discussion on migration, health care, woman’s issues and education should hinge on the effect that these decisions will have on those with the least level of power to rectify their own situation. We can talk trickle-down economics, economic rationalism, fiddling with tax rates and increasing benefits but without a plan that pivots around a governments service to the poor all get rail-roaded by those who have power. Nations talk about changes to minimum wage and a universal basic income but, again, without a fundamental social justice philosophy that places those without a voice in the front window it is obvious that hope for the elimination of poverty will diminish. You can call me naïve and not seeing the big picture – more jobs will create more opportunities – blah blah blah – but some need consistent help – they need to be carried for a while or maybe forever

For centuries convents and monasteries have provided inexpensive lodging and meals to travellers.  People are welcomed into the monastic life often with a simple room for the night and a home-cooked meal.

It was no different at Queen of Peace Monastery found on the back road of Squamish. This monastery is the home and place of work and worship for about a dozen Dominican nuns.  They live a cloistered existence but are warm and welcoming to the stranger.

During my years in Western Australia I frequently spent a few days at the New Norcia Benedictine Monastery found about 1 1/2 hours drive from Perth.  There, the traveller is also welcomed and well fed and invited to join in the monastic rountines.

The nuns and monks consider every person, themselves included, in the monastery to be a guest , since each person somehow has entered into the house of God, a dwelling place of God.  The rituals of hospitality just are the outworkings of this concept. The rhythm and life of the nuns and monks is to be respected and preserved.  Silences and adherence to the rules of the monastery are to be followed. 

To be able to enter into the sense of prayer and peace is wonderful. I am surprised that these places are not over-run with people trying to escape from a busy life. Perhaps the entry into such an unusual community is difficult for some. 

I would hope that more places for retreat are made available to the urbanite. It is a particular need in our times.

Hannes so happy to be able to share at Fount of Life Ministry in Perth, Australia this weekend.

Together again with like-minded friends.  A community founded on compassion, connections and building community. And our friendship with Eddie and Maria of course began with food!

A meal at Hans Cafe in Leederville began our commitment to partner with this vibrant group of people. The friendship continues today. We are with them as they plan to build on their land and take their special sense of 'family building' to another level. 

We bless their work and their community.  Food and hospitality continue to lay the foundations of this group.  Sunday service is always followed by a fine spread of food on the banquet table.  the staple food often being a fine Pastor Maria Biriyani!

Let the foundations be built and a place of worship and community grow up big and strong.